Lee Kochel

When you say store bacon grease, it depends on how long.  Pork fat contains approximately 1/3 saturated fat which will last almost forever; 1/3 monounsaturated fat which will last a long time; and the rest is polyunsaturated fat which has a relatively short life span (which causes the rancid odor); because it is in a mixture, it will generally stay good for a few to 5 or 6 years (depending on all kinds of factors - such as what was the pig fed) before giving off the rancid odor.

WRT tilling in wood chips to deter grass, I haven't seen the video so I don't exactly understand the context, but in an effort to increase the fungi in my soil near my fruit trees, I spread lots of twigettes (I break all my less than 2" diameter branches down into 2 to 4" segments or wood chips, amounting to perhaps 1/2 " thickness) ON the ground all around my fruit trees and that is the best grass in my entire yard.  Also, where I spread wood chips in thicker layers to deter any growth, grass grows into these areas spontaneously but it does not root deeply and is usually easily removed by hand.

Parsnips, which have a 2 foot fleshy root and which can be seeded by broadcasting, and oil seed radish are also good at breaking up hardpan.  Thistle grows prolifically in areas with lots of moisture, but it roots down to the hardpan and then horizontally for up to a couple feet -- which might require a century to correct the hardpan.

The floaters in most people's eyes are small blood clots.  Converting to a ketogenic diet (low carbohydrate) or otherwise reducing your chronically high insulin will eliminate these floaters.

I think that food and attitude have an overwhelmingly large impact on human health.  As a person who eats primarily a high fat, low carbohydrate diet, I would recommend  a badge that includes the making of sauces/dressings that add a lot of flavor and are high in fat content that could be used as sauces for vegetables, salds, and meats and eggs.  Herbal flavored mayo would be great; just don't use canola/soy/corn etc. high omega 6 oils.

With terraces like these it might be worthwhile to look at how some of the Asian countries (China and Philippines) and the ancient Peruvians manage their terraces.  Also, Mark Shepherd would probable be worth a look as he has extensive practical experience managing high water flows on hillsides and avoiding washouts.  One thing he likes is grading the terrace with a 1% slope on top of each terrace so that the excess water drains off to the side and cannot pour over the lip of the terrace; and any breaches he repairs immediately.

Parsnips do well in clay and are good for the clay having a tap root approaching 2 ft.

My fallback is always a ketogenic diet (high fat - 80%, but no extra omega 6s, moderate protein - 15%, low carb - 5% from leafy dark green vegetables), combined with intermediate fasting.  And occasionally total fasting for more than a day.  Except for emergency situations this can help often more than any medicine or procedure.  Also, I know you didn't ask, and I know that there are a few decent doctors out there, but in general asking a doctor for diet advice, when his business model depends on return visits, is a little like asking a wolf for design assistance when building your hen house.

One more question.  You suggest that one of the preparations  produces a lot of humus.  Another prominent agriculturist, John Kempf, strongly asserts that humus is the result of the repeated digestion of fats by fungi until it cannot be digested any more.  Do you see any evidence for this or would you posit another mechanism?  Thanks again.

I am extremely interested in this forum entry.  I have some additional questions.  Would any source of manure work or does it have to come from a herbivore?  Are you suggesting that spraying a dilute aqueous solution of DE on the garden would give a lot of the advantages of using these horn preparations?  Also, you reference the similarity of your concepts with Elaine Ingham's; yet you seem to imply that the effect of these horn preparations is to significantly increase the bacteria in the soil, whereas, Elaine constantly references having a significant quantity (often about =) of fungi AND an adequate supply of predators of these microorganisms.  So, did you mean bacteria or were you using bacteria as shorthand for the other critters as well?  If you meant to say just bacteria, how do you explain the significantly increased plant results?  Do you think that  you could get the same results by adding garden soil to the mixture and then just burying the combined mixture in a cardboard container in a slow compost pile?   Thanks.